Record Holiday Shopping To Date At $80.3B, E-Commerce Is Transforming Both The Rich And The Rural

Holiday shopping is up almost 20%, according to Adobe Analytics data, which tracks transactions for 80 of the top 100 U.S. online retailers. As of yesterday, it hit a record $80.3 billion.

That's $13 billion more than last year.

But more interesting to me? Who's doing all that shopping and shipping.

Photocredit: Getty

Getty

In perhaps a throwaway phrase, Adobe says the "top states by basket size were Alaska, California, Washington, New York and Wyoming."

That's interesting, for two different reasons.

We know California, New York, and Washington are among the wealthier states, and we know how wealthier Americans are more and more likely to order online (or, increasingly, by app) and get delivery at home, especially by subscription and monthly deliveries.

But the contrast between those states and the other order size leaders are immense.

Alaska and Wyoming are both lightly populated, highly dispersed states with limited access to bricks-and-mortar retail. It's easier to order online -- and order a lot -- and get delivery at home rather than driving for hours to the nearest mall. Or, in some cases, flying or boating to a nearby population center.

So online order cart sizes are growing, with Alaska the highest in the country at $166, followed by California, Washington, and New York at $165, $160, and $160, respectively. Wyoming was just behind, at $158. (Higher shipping costs to Alaska were another driver of buyers consolidating orders to minimize costs, says Adobe.)

Increasingly, this e-commerce is mobile, with 55% year-over-year growth in sales on mobile.

“Retailers are reaping the rewards of their investments in mobile," says Taylor Schreiner, director of Adobe Digital Insights. "So far this season, we see $8.4 billion more dollars coming from smartphones versus last year, compared to $3.8 billion more dollars coming from desktop computers compared to last year."

The retail extravaganza is likely to continue.

20% of U.S. shoppers plan to do more than three quarters of their holiday shopping at big online retailers like Amazon and eBay, says Adobe. That's up 25% from last year.

And e-commerce is simply the new Sears catalogue: all the world's products available wherever you happen to be.